ASTS gets 'Extreme Makeover'

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alyssa Blom
  • 934th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station --  You could call it "Extreme Makeover: Air Force Edition". The ASTS building 840 recently received a massive overhaul and renovation. While the old building was under construction, the unit was temporarily moved to a smaller building. Between May 31 and June 3, they moved nearly everything back to the updated building.

"We expect to be fully moved in around six to eight months, "said Margo M. Wilkowski, a civilian administrative clerk at the ASTS. "The north side of the building still needs to be renovated, which is phase three. That starts on June 13."

The temporary building proved to be a challenge for the ASTS. The airmen did the best they could, and kept a positive attitude since they knew it wouldn't last forever.
"We went from having a lot of space to very little, "said Wilkowski. " Patients were crammed into a very small waiting area, and we even had to open the electrical room as an exam room."

Building 840 was completely stripped down to the studs. It has a new layout, fresh paint, new floors, and sinks in every room. It is a welcomed change.

"There is more office space, with wider hallways and more rooms," said Senior Master Sgt. Stacy R. Campbell, NCOIC of optometry. "In the old building, there was no room. We had half of the space to work and you could hear everything that was said in an exam."
Now the building has a better layout and flow to it, and the airmen feel it allows for a better environment.

"There is a lot of privacy now. I heard a doctor say that the building is as nice as his civilian practice, "said Master Sgt. Mary Rebholtz, soft contact lens program manager. " It is a more cohesive layout, and as a result, the patients will receive an improved quality of care."

With the updated building, many of the airmen feel they will perform their jobs at a higher level, and the patients will benefit from it.

"This renovation is a great improvement and will increase our efficiency," said Senior Airman Kelly J. Newport. "I hope it helps improve the patient care and experience."